Mother’s lawsuit faces challenges
Kathleen Smith was a sweet, 52-year-old woman whose body aged but her mind did not.
She lived in state care from age 14 until her death at the Lakeland Village Nursing Facility in Medical Lake in 2006. Smith drowned after she was left unattended in a bathtub despite having a seizure disorder that required arm’s-length supervision at all times.
Smith’s mother is now fighting to change a state law that makes it almost impossible to hold anyone responsible for her daughter’s death.
Read the rest of Tom Clouse's story here.
Past coverage:
May 15, 2009: Care provider acquitted in death